1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a single device which can be used for brushing and clasping hair, and also to a method of styling hair using such a device.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Hair styling plays an important role in the social life of most men and women in our society. In general, the primary goal of hair styling is to render hair neat and attractive.
For women with longer length hair, a hair brush is often necessary to style and neaten their hair at various times during the day. Consequently, these women must carry a hair brush or comb in their pocketbooks, handbags or purses.
When women with longer length hair desire to hold their hair in place in a particular fashion, they often use a hair clip or bar, referred to as a "barrette". When these women style their hair, they must perform the following sequence of steps in a ritualistic manner. First, they must remove the barrette from their hair, place it aside, and retrieve a brush from their handbag or purse. They then use the brush to style their hair, retrieve the barrette, and use it to hold their hair in a selected fashion. As this procedure is time consuming and requires carrying a brush often in a purse or pocket, most women typically limit styling their hair to once or twice a day. Consequently, their hair does not look as neat and attractive as possible.
Hitherto, a wide variety of hair brushes and combs have been developed. In more recent times, fashion trends have been to carry smaller handbags, and thus there has been a corresponding demand for hair brushes which can be easily folded or collapsed for compact storage. An exemplary number of foldable hair brushes disclosed in U.S Pat. Nos. 4,987,633 to Heneveld; 4,507,818 to Perdiz; 4,494,269 to Makabe; 4,116,205 to Owen; and 4,057,868 to Latham. While the hair brushes disclosed in these U.S. Patents can be used to style hair and thereafter folded for compact storage, they have no other utility when folded and otherwise occupy the handbags, pocketbooks, and purses.
In an effort to provide a single device which can be used, to comb and clasp hair, U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,061 to Colclasure discloses a clasp member which can slidably move along the teeth of a comb in order to clasp hair therebetween. This prior art device, does not, however, provide a brush, is limited in terms of the amount of hair which can be clasped, and generally detracts from the appearance of its user.
Also, while hair clips having teeth elements are generally known in the art, none of these prior art devices can be used to brush and hold hair in a desired manner, while providing an aesthetically pleasing ornamental function.
Thus, there is a great need in the hair styling art for a single device which can be used to facilitate both hair brushing and clasping functions, without detracting from the appearance of the user.